Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-02-04
THE LECTURES TO FARMERS.
Fruit Tree Culture and the Raising of
Small Fruits.

ternoOn, a large class being present The
subject was divided INTO two portions, the
first, on Fruit Tree Culture. being dis
cussed by Mr.. Archibald Taylor, proprie-
tor of the Burlington greenhouse and
nursery, and the second on The Raising
of Small Fruit by Mr.. Macomber of Fer
risburgh, the well-known nurseryman
and dealer in small fruits.
Mr.. Taylor gave a practical and valua-
bic talk on the subject of fruit culture.
lie said that for obtaining young stock
for orchards, several bushels of pomlce
should be sown, iust rs it comes from the
cider mil. It should be sown in the
spring, very thick, in drills, aud covered
with one inch of sod. When the young
shoots come up they should he well cared
for and kept free from weeds for three
years then the thriftest plants should
be selected for the orchards and planted
early IN the spring One-half Of
this young stock can be budded in july
! The remainder should he left for another
year After two or three years growth
these trees Will be ready to set in Your
! orchard. The Vermont native tree Is bet
ter than that obtained from the West l.
is heavier, and the branches and wood drr
harder II YOU prefer to buy your orcha q
stock, bu, home grown trees Select your
stock, if possible, when the trees are H.
full leaf. 1t is better to have them taken
| up in the fall than in the spring
! The leaves should be deep, dark green,
with fringe of down. Select the short
| growth with the leaves close together, as
these are indications OF vitality. Have
these trees taken up, saving all the small
roots possible. Give the tree the same
/ care a. you would hill Of corn for the
! first four or five years. Trim from tn" Isl
of March 10 the last of April Different
| varieties of the apples are suited for diff
/
experience and experiment.
The apple bCrer is one of the most de
struCtlve insects we have to contend with.
1t is "A native insect The eggs are de-
posted early in June near the roots Of the
tree. The time to destroy the bOrer l.
when ii is lodged in the bark in OctO
Der
The question of cultivation of the or
chprd depends on The amount of tree food
IT, the soil. Impoverished soil is indicated
by the leaves showing pale color, ana
the ground should then he turned up ana
enriched. Anything III the way OF new
soil with good manure aud ground bone
are valuable for fruit trees Anything
that will renew the soil should he saved
for the orchard and used as top tressug
or turned in with shallow blowing.
Grating is very simply process. The
unity of the scion and stalk takes place
from the crude sap in the stalk The
bark of the scion and the stalk should he
brought neatly together, and sealed with
grating wax. Root grating is well if
one good Seeding plant is used but the
root that IL chopped M into pieces seldom
bears well. Three buds should be on the
scion two in split grating. Budding is
also a simple process. 1t should be per
formed in the last of July
In answer to inquiries Mr.. Taylor said
Nearly every town has its favOrite apple
that bears well, aud should be cultivated
and t,tra J..
from trees, if possible. If necessary, do
not trim so early as February. Ashes help
tree, but do not injure the borers. The
borer selects young trees preferably In
October you will see a little speck around
or near the bottom of the stalk like iron
rust. Scrape thi> off with your thumb
nail and you will find and may destroy the
maggot, which is there in the bark II
bOrers get into the tree they must be dug
out with the knife
The fameuse, the st. Lawrence, the
Jonathan and Northern spy are good va
rletes OF apples for light, sandy land The
black spot in apples is an indication of
bad health and is removed by increasing
the vitality of the tree. Excessive crop
trees are those that bear alternate years.
Mr.. Macomber then gave his experience
with small fruits, As follows:
Small fruits include black berries, rasp-
berries, currants and gooseberries The
best red currant is the old Dutch red cur
rant. Gooseberries should be partially
shaded they suffer from the heat of sum
mcr I ne Snyder and Taylor's prolific
are the two best black berries OF black
raspberries the Black Caps, such as ONO
and Tyler are the best Grape is too ten
der. OF the red raspberries the Cuthbert
is the best. Red raspberries should be set
| in rows four or five feet apart Keep the
| ground clean between the rows The
Black Caps want more space Keep weeds
and glass out of the way and the suckers
down Manage the culture with a horse
| cultivator.
Straw berries should be set in spring on
good, well drained lands keep perfectly
clean. Set in rows from four To six feet
apart. Give them space, so You can cult.
waite with horse cultivator In the fall,
after the ground is frozen, cover with
some coarse litter After you have picked
a crop from Il row, turn it under. If the
| blossoms of strawberries are i'm
perfect set fertlizing plants with
| perfect blossoms near them Crane
| vines, called hardy in the West,
are not hardy enough for this section.
There are none sufficiently hardy to stand